Parents seek charge upgrade in fatal DWI crash

By Ana Ley :
December 3, 2012
: Updated: December 4, 2012 9:34am

Photo of Joshua Tegel, 16, died after getting hit by an alleged drunk driver on Nov. 17, 2012

A plastic flower inside a milk jug marks the spot where Joshua Tegel, 16, was fatally struck by a suspected drunken driver on Nov. 17.

Weeks after a pickup driven by a suspected drunken driver claimed his son's life, Jerry Tegel hopes authorities will upgrade the charge against him.

Joshua Tegel, 16, was walking with friends down Gibbs-Sprawl Road near Castle Cross at about 8 p.m. on Nov. 17 when he was hit from behind by a Ford Ranger. He died at the scene.

The driver, Royce Alvin Willis, 39, told police he had slowed and moved to the side to let two vehicles pass him and when he pulled back into the road, Tegel was in his path.

Skid marks at the accident site indicate that the boy was walking on the road when struck, although a witness who was with Tegel said they were not in the roadway when Willis' pickup “came out of nowhere,” an incident report states.

Willis was charged with a second offense of driving while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor, and was released the next day after posting $2,000 bond. He had a DWI conviction in 2001, records show.

First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said it could take several more weeks to review the case for a possible upgrade to felony intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony.

Jerry Tegel said he, his wife and 14-year-old daughter still are in disbelief. Joshua was “a good kid,” a popular boy who had just joined a tennis team and was taking driving classes, his dad said. He frequently walked to visit friends.

Joshua was buried in California, where most of his relatives live.

aley@express-news.net

Twitter: @aley_EN

As originally published, this story contained the wrong date for the accident. It was Nov. 17.